What are you leaving?

Linking up today with Five Minute Friday with other writers who are silencing the inner critic and just writing for fun for five minutes straight. Today's prompt is "leave".

I like airports and I always have.

It’s the hustle and bustle of passengers coming and going. The planes sitting out at the end of those long tubes that you have to walk through to board.

I think airports are a metaphor for life.

People leave and people arrive.

We are always leaving something and arriving at something else.

Where are the airport people leaving for? Are they leaving, only to return again, or are some of them leaving for good?

Where are the passengers arriving from? Some distant land that was a momentous journey, or a business trip that unfortunately took them away from their family for too long?

What are you leaving? Are you leaving that baggage behind that no longer serves you? Are you leaving the past in the past, or are you still carrying it around like a heavy bag through the airport?

What are you arriving at? Hopefully, as you are leaving something behind, you are arriving at a better place. Hopefully, you’re arriving at a new, dream-filled, much anticipated place. A place that is better than the one you left.

I’ve left a lot of baggage in the past. I’ve decided to set much of it down. Setting it at the baggage claim, never to claim it again.

I’ve decided to camp out at the arrivals. I’ve decided to set my sights instead on arriving at a new destination even if that destination is a new one each and every day.

Blessings to you friend!

Thanks for stopping by!

Surprised by grace

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a tendency to want to control things. I’m not sure when this started.

I know I am not alone in this, but I’m naming it.

This tendency to want to control things (and people) has not served me well. The outcome of this undesirable habit has led me down paths of

regret

disappointment

anger

sadness

unmet expectations.

Not the sort of things I want hanging around, but hang they have, for far too long.

What this is showing me again lately is that I have a hard time waiting well. I want what I want when I want it. (it's the illusion of control)

I think my timing is best. Well, why wouldn’t it be? That’s what would make life the easiest!

I need grace to accept what I cannot control.

I need grace to let go.

I need grace to let people be who and what they are without me trying to change them.

Amazingly enough, when I let go of the need to control, and instead trust grace, I’m usually surprised.

I’m swept off my feet by the sweetest Divine interventions that I could never have planned if I tried.

Consolations and blessings and graces

show their faces

 in ways that make me gasp in gratitude.

Who doesn’t like a surprise, especially if it is a pleasant one?

So, I am faced with a daily, moment by moment choice. Choose to hang on to the illusion of control and be miserable, or 

let go of the illusion of control, grab faith and be surprised by grace.

I know which one I want.

Blessings to you friend,

~Anne

I'm linking up today with Holley Gerth at Coffee for Your Heart and #TellHisStory

Making fear take the back seat

Linking up with Kate at Five Minute Friday, where brave writers gather once a week to silence the inner critic and just write for five minutes straight, not worrying about edits or backtracking. This week's prompt is "dare". 



I basically started this blog, A Ready Listener, two and a half years ago as a dare to myself. I was actually scared speechless to put my words out there on the “interwebs” for the whole world to read. And, possibly criticize.

What would people think of my ideas and opinions on life? Would they silently criticize me? 

Would they categorize me as something that I don’t want and didn’t intend to portray?

It took two failed blog attempts to finally get one going. It was so difficult to force the words out onto the screen and even more difficult to click publish. It’s still difficult.

But, I guess I've learned to push through that fear and intimidation of putting my words out there, because for two and a half years, I’ve been pretty regularly putting them out there. Putting them out, open to criticism and disagreement.

But, also putting them out there to encourage. The sub-theme of my blog, under the name A Ready Listener is, “pausing to hear the beauty in all of life.”

I guess when I thought about that pause, and the beauty that surrounds me daily, and my desire to encourage readers and bring beauty to their lives, to your life, the fear took the second seat.

Oh, that I will choose to make fear take a back seat in things that I want to do in the future. In things that I have a passion about, but a fear to carry out.

Fear must take the back seat if beauty is to emerge.

Thanks for stopping by!
Blessings to you, friend!

What does your soul need?

I was 25 before I became a consistent face-washer before bed. Sad to say, but before that it was hit and miss, even though I had blemished skin starting in my early teens. 

Once I made night time face washing a ritual, though, I started to realize what a gift I was giving myself. I was actually giving myself a mini face spa treatment every night. My skin began to thank me. I layed my face on my pillow feeling more refreshed after the dirt from the day was washed away.


What if we did this on a regular basis for our souls? To give ourselves a mini soul spa regularly by letting go of the negative stuff that weighs our souls down, and inhaling what our souls desperately need?

What exactly do our souls need? I often find myself asking that question. 

What does my soul need?

It's taken me most of my life to become self-aware enough to learn what my soul needs. For much of my life, I mostly paid attention to the needs of the people around me.

As a wife and mother, I focused on the needs I was called to meet. That part is a good thing.

But, I forgot about my needs.

I had neglected my soul. The deepest part of me that is ME.

I had even kind of forgotten what I like and dislike because I was such a people pleaser, always trying to keep the peace. And, always trying to keep the people around me happy.

I did this to the neglect of myself and my needs. That's not a good thing.

Finally, one day my soul said STOP. SLOW DOWN. 

So, I did. I began to learn what my soul needs.

One of the things I realized my soul needs is regular times of quiet and solitude. If I don't get this regularly, I am no good to myself or those around me. 


How about you? Do you know what your soul needs? Are you willing to work at finding out?

Your soul will thank you when you do.

Blessings to you, friend!

~Anne

Linking up today with Holley Gerth at Coffee for Your Heart.

Why I'm not blogging for 31 Days

For the past two years, I linked up with The Nester for 31 Days of Blogging in October. It was a blast, and I planned on doing it again this year! 


I was seriously going to do it. I had my first post written and a list of ideas for the other thirty posts. 

My topic was fantastic, something I really need myself. 

31 Days of Mini Soul Spas

Now, doesn't that sound like something you'd like? I sure would!

Then, my wise daughter reminded me of some important facts.

1. Our house is on the market

2. We close on a different house in about five weeks. 

3. We'll need to start packing.

4. I might feel stressed at having to pack and move a household AND come up with thirty one engaging posts that make some kind of sense!


She very gently, but firmly reminded me of some needed boundaries. 


I was really looking forward to the challenge of writing 31 blog posts in 31 days! I did it the last two years and it was so rewarding! Neither time did I write posts ahead of time. I just "winged" it. 

However, I'm going to listen to my daughter. This time. ;)

And, I started to think of a couple of benefits for not participating this year. 

1. Take my own advice, and slow the pace here while I can and give MYSELF some mini soul spas before the move!

2. Take some time to read some of the bloggers that have linked up to write31days.com. Find some I've enjoyed reading already and find some new ones.

When I was busy writing for 31 days the last two years, I didn't have time to go and read many other blogs. This will give me a chance to browse a bit and discover. 

So, although I'll miss the challenge and the community of it this year, I'll be good and ready for next year when October comes around again and I'm settled in my new house! 

Cheers to all the 31 day-ers of 2014!

{If you'd like to take a peek at my last two years' 31 Days posts, you can go here and here.}

Blessings to you!

~Anne

Linking up today with Coffee For Your Heart

Six things I learned in September

I'm linking up with Emily at Chatting at the Sky for her monthly Things I Learned link up. This is for the silly and the serious things. Here are six things I learned this month in no particular order. 

1. A crazy trait of mine finally dawned on me. When my favorite pen runs out of ink, it makes me cranky. This happened twice to me this month with pens I had become quite attached to. I guess I must be a pen snob. It doesn't have to be expensive, but it needs to be the right thickness for my hand to grip, and it has to be a medium ball point. Never fine point, heavens no.

2. We bought a little house. After 30 years of marriage and being (nearly) empty nesters we don't need as much space. We are moving from a 2500 square foot home to 1185 square feet. Yes, our parents are looking at us a little cross-eyed about this one. It seems backwards, yes? 

We decided to try to simplify our lives and our finances a bit. Make it easier to put money to different things than a house payment and property taxes. We're also going to have to severely simplify our possessions, which has already been happening. 

If we haven't used it in a year, or maybe 14 years, since we moved here, well then, maybe we don't need it!  This stack of pants of mine, I finally let go to Goodwill after not touching them in fourteen years. It's about time!

3.  Letting go of some of my collectibles hasn't been as bad as I thought. I had to empty one whole dresser of doilies, dresser scarves and other assorted vintage linens and it wasn't that bad. My only requirement for letting these once sentimental things leave my house is that they will be consigned, not given away. 

4.  We are a movie crazy family. Last night was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows night. Of course, we've all seen this one before. But, knowing that I don't like scary parts my daughter and son warned me, "Mom, there's a jump scare coming up." This was new. Being warned ahead of time, so I can leave the room. So appreciated!

5. The four of us living in this house got it ready for pictures and listing for sale in six days flat. When our offer was accepted on the "new" one, we took only six days to tidy up, do our small touch ups, wash windows and majorly declutter.

During those six days we took 30 bags to Goodwill, 7 bags to the garbage, 12 bags of books to Half Price Books to sell and 5 bags to the recycle bin. (yes, my husband kept track!) Pretty impressive if you ask me! And, I'm already feeling lighter.

6. My husband has an intern at work from Denmark. A couple of Saturdays ago, we took him to the Iowa State Capitol for a tour. My mom happened to be the tour guide! I had been there before, but it was fun taking someone from out of the country to see it for the first time. This time I noticed more of the beautiful structure of this building which was built in the late 1800's. 

So, if you are ever in Iowa, come visit the Iowa State Capitol, listed on one top ten list of most beautiful buildings in the world!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Anne

For when you need selective memory

I have this thing. 

This habit of remembering too much! I think a lot of people think of this as a positive trait. Yes, I want a great memory to remember things from my past that have brought me great joy. 

Like my wedding. Like the birth and childhood of each of my three beautiful children. Those are things that I don't ever want to forget. 

But, I seem to also have a keen memory for those things that I'd rather forget. 

Things that I need to forget. 

Things that are healthy for me to forget. 

Bad things that have happened to me that I have no business rehashing. They may not even be tragic things. Just things that have caused the opposite of joy. 

Joy stealers.

Unfortunately, I have an uncanny ability for reviewing in my mind those things that have stolen my joy. 

Does this ever happen to anyone else?

Why can't my mind automatically go to the things that have caused happiness and joy instead? For me, this is tends to be work. 

It must be a weakness of mine, this tendency to dwell on the negatives of the past and worry that they'll happen again. 

Today, I choose to continue the purposeful journey to having selective memory.

I'm choosing to continue to carefully select the joyful, peace-filled memories.

The ones that make the corners of my mouth turn upward instead of downward. The ones that warm my heart and fill me with joy too deep for words. 

This is a journey, I realize. This is a process. It is a growing edge that I'll probably always have to work on. 

But, thank goodness, I don't have to take this journey alone. I am so grateful that the God of all peace resides inside and beside me. I have His constant and ever-present help. 

Today, I choose to remember. Joy.

"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

I Thessalonians 5:23

Blessings to you friend,

~Anne

Linking up today with Coffee for Your Heart.